In Britain, children go to school from Monday to Friday. School usually starts nine o’clock in the morning and finishes at about three o’clock in the afternoon. Most schools ask their students to wear a school uniform.

School always starts with registration. What is registration? Every child going to school each morning and afternoon is recorded(记录) in a special book. The teacher reads out each child’s name in turn. On hearing his/her name, the child makes a reply(回复) and the teacher writes in the book. From the book, you can see whether(是否) the child is in school or not.

At 9:10, children go to the meeting place. There they sing songs, listen to a story and pray(祈祷).

The first lesson begins at 9:20. They have break time from 10:20 to 10:35. During break time, the children have a snack and play games outdoors. After that, they go back in for another lesson until lunch at 12:00. Afternoon lessons begin at 1:10 and end at 3:15, and children go home. They don’t have a break in the afternoon.

1. How much time does a British student usually spend at school in a week?

Different gestures (手势) mean different things in different countries. Sometimes a gesture that is polite in one country is not polite in another and should not be used. Different meanings of gestures can also cause problems in understanding what another person is trying to say. A gesture that many people do not understand is one that uses the thumb. Most westerners will sometimes show that they like something by holding out a closed hand with the thumb lifting in the air. This is called give someone or something “the thumbs up”. Often, only one thumb is used, so it should be “the thumb up”.

The usual explanation (解释) for the origin of this gesture is not really correct. It says that in ancient Roman times, when people were pleased with the way a gladiator (角斗士) had fought, they showed their thumbs up. When they were not pleased, they gave the thumbs down. When a gladiator was given the thumbs up, the emperor allowed him to live. When a gladiator was given the thumbs down, the emperor ordered him to be killed.

The truth is, however, it was translated into a wrong meaning by mistake. If people wanted to save the gladiator, they put out their hands and hid their thumbs in their hands. If they wanted the gladiator to die, they pointed their thumbs straight at him.

( )1. Westerners lift their thumbs when they ________.

A. want someone to die B. like something

C. want to go to a playground D. want someone to live

( )2. Most people think that in ancient Rome, “thumbs up” meant that ________.

The dragon (龙) is a great animal in Chinese culture. It brings the wind and rain. It is said that every year on the second day of the second lunar (阴历的) month, the dragon wakes up from its winter sleep and raises its head. Because of this, the day is called “Dragon Heads-raising Day” (Longtaitou). This year, it falls on Feb 27.

Old people believed that after Longtaitou, there would be more rain. And rain is very important to farming. So Longtaitou was the start of spring and farming.

People have many ways to celebrate the Longtaitou festival. The most popular one is to have a haircut. Many believe that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to your uncles － mainly your mother’s brothers. They hope getting a haircut on Longtaitou gets rid of bad luck.

Among Chinese people’s festival traditions, there is always a place for food. During the Longtaitou festival, people eat food named after dragons. Noodles are called dragon’s beard (胡须) (longxu). Dumpling are dragon’s ears (long er). And spring rolls are dragon’s scales (鳞片) (longlin).

People also hold activities like dragon dancing on the day. In some places in Shandong province, people make dragon lanterns (灯笼) too. Small reed (芦苇) boats go down the rivers and carry the lanterns, which stand for people’s best wishes and good luck.

根据短文内容，选择正确答案。

1. What did old people think of Longtaitou?

A. It was a good time for sleeping.

B. It was the end of the Spring Festival.

C. It was the start of spring and farming.

D. It meant the weather would become colder.

2. Why do people have a haircut on this day?

A. It’s believed it will bring good luck to their uncles.

B. It’s believed it will get rid of bad luck.

C. It may help their hair grow.

D. It may bring more rain.

3. According to the tradition, people eat the following EXCEPT _____ on this day.

Most American families are smaller than the families in other countries．Most American families have one or two parents and one or two children each．

Children in the US will leave their parents’ home when they grow up．They usually live far from their parents because they want to find good jobs．They often write to their parents or telephone them，And they often go to visit their parents on holiday．

Parents usually let their children choose their own jobs．Americans think it important for young people to decide on their lives by themselves．

Children are asked to do some work around their house．And in many families，children are paid for doing some housework so that they learn how to make money for their own use．

1．The size of most American families is ______ that of other countries．

Thanksgiving Day is a public holiday.It is on the fourth Thursday of November in the U.S.and on the second Monday in October in Canada.

For many Americans it is the most important holiday apart from Christmas.Schools,offices and most businesses close for Thanksgiving,and many people make the whole weekend a vacation.

Today people celebrate Thanksgiving to remember the early days.The most important celebration is a traditional dinner with foods that come from North America.The meal included turkey,sweet potatoes and so on.

On Thanksgiving there are special television programmes and sports events.Thanksgiving is considered the beginning of Christmas period,and the next day many people go out to shop for Christmas presents.

Every year there is a Spring Festival in China.Usually it is in January or February.It is the most important festival in China.So before it comes,everyone has to prepare things.They buy pork,beef,chicken,fruits and many other things.And they often make a special kind of food—dumplings.It means “come together”.On the day before the festival,parents buy new clothes for their children.Children also buy presents for their parents.On the Spring Festival Eve(除夕),all the family members come back to their hometown.This is a happy moment.Some sing and dance,some play cards and others get the dinner ready.When they enjoy the meal,they give each other the best wishes for the coming year.They all have a good time.

1.Which is the most important festival in China?

A.The Mid Autumn Festival.

B.The Spring Festival.

C.Children’s Day.

D.Women’s Day

2.When is the Chinese Spring Festival usually celebrated?

A.In March or April.

B.In May or June.

C.In January or February.

D.In December.

3. is the special kind of food for Spring Festival in China.

A.ChickenB.DumplingC.Fish D.Vegetable

4.What’s the meaning of the food “dumplings” for Chinese people in Spring Festival?

A.Look up. B.Help yourself.

C.Come together. D.Happiness

5.The family when they are having dinner together on the Spring Festival Eve.

The students in America like pop music very much. You can often see that students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class，after class and at lunch. Students with cars buy 1arge speakers and play the music loudly while they drive on the street.

Adult(成年的)drivers listen to music by the car radio when they drive to work. They also listen to the news about the weather，sports，and the life of American people. Most of the radio programs are music.

Pop music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in many places. Once the popular singer is heard all over the country，young people buy his or her tape. Some of the money from these tapes goes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes，all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.

There are some other kinds of music that are important to Americans. 0ne is called folk(民间)music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys(牛仔)who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today，any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.

( )1. How many kinds of music are mentioned in this passage?

A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five

( )2. Students listen to music______.

A. after class B. at lunch C. before class D. A, B and C

( )3. From the passage we know that country music is about the______.

A. country life and love stories B. 1ife of cowboys

C. common life of Americans D. Both B and C

( )4. Pop singers can make______ money.

A. some B. a few C. many D. a lot of

( )5. Which of the following is true according to this passage?

A. Adult drivers in America listen to music all the time while driving.

B. Everyone in America wants to meet pop singers wherever they go.

C. Students with cars in America like to listen to music while driving.

Father’s Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a mother’s Day, and just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become important in North America. And businessmen found it was a good way to get people to buy a present for the fathers from their shops.

By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have Children’s Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother’s Day, so maybe Father’s Day will become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father’s Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should buy Father’s Day presents for their fathers. They even tell a wife to buy a Father’s Day present----not for her father but for her husband, even if(即使) he is not a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy a present for their grandfathers.

Most American families like to have a vacation in summer. Summer is a good season for vacation. It is often hot during the months of July and August.

Children do not go to school during these two months. Some people like to stay at home during their vacation. Many families take their lunch to eat at a place with many trees or a nice lake. Some people have enough time and money to travel to other countries like France, Japan or Australia. They usually fly to the countries. Many families travel by car or by train to see interesting places in their country. Their favorite cities are New York, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Not everyone likes to go to busy cities. Some families travel to the mountains or beautiful valleys.

1. ________ is a good season for vacation.

A. Spring B. Summer C. Autumn D. Winter

2. Some people like to stay at home during their vacation. They don’t ________.

A. read books B. visit their friends C. watch TV D. go to work

3. Many families like to have their lunch ________.

A. in the office B. near a cinema C. near a big factory D. near a nice lake

In some countries, some people do not like the number 13. They don’t think 13 is a lucky number. For example, they don’t like to live on the 13th floor.

One day Jack asked some friends to dinner. When all of his friends arrived, he asked them to sit around the dinner table. He began to count the people while they were having the lovely food. Suddenly he cried out, “Oh, there are thirteen people here!”

Everyone’s face turned white except Mr. Brown. He said slowly with a smile on his face, “Don’t worry, dear friends! We have fourteen people here. My wife will have a baby（生孩子）in a few weeks.”

All of them became happy again. “Congratulations！” they said to Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Then they enjoyed the nice food and had a good time that evening.

1. Jack asked his friends to have ______ that day.

A. breakfast B. lunch C. supper D. a baby

2. Jack began to count the people ______.

A. before dinner B. after dinner

C. at dinner time D. when they came in

3. Jack ______ to have 13 people for the dinner.

A. had B. wanted C. didn’t want D. liked

4. Why does everyone’s face turn white?

A. Because the food was delicious. B. Because they liked the number 13.

C. Because they didn’t think the number is lucky. D. Because there were 14 people.

5. All the people became happy again ______.

A. when Jack spoke B. because a baby was sitting there

C. because there were not thirteen people here D. because a baby would come here

The Spring Festival is the biggest festival for Chinese people all around the world. The celebration usually lasts for 15 days. There is a lot to do.

On the eve of the Spring Festival, family members get together and have big meals. Their favorite dish on this day is dumpling.

Days before the Spring Festival, families will clean their homes. People think cleaning sweeps away bad luck. It makes the house ready for good luck.

The color red is everywhere during the Spring Festival. People think red is a happy color and will bring them a bright future. People wear red, too. They decorate(装饰) their homes with pieces of red paper. Kids get a lot of ＂hongbao＂. It is a red paper bag with money in it. Usually, older people give younger ones hongbao. They think it brings good luck.

The Spring Festival is the time to make everybody happy. So don’t say any bad words or do anything that will bring unhappiness to other people.

For instance(例如), you’d better not say any bad words like ＂death＂. Don’t break anything. People think that it means your luck is running out. Also, don’t borrow or lend money in these days. If you have borrowed money, return it before the Spring Festival.

( )1. What do most people do on the eve of the Spring Festival ?

A. Family members gather(get together) for a big meal.

B. Friends eat dumplings together.

C. They borrow money from friends.

D. They give each other ＂hongbao＂.

( )2. Why do people clean their houses days before the Spring Festival?

A. Because they enjoy being clean.

B. Because it is believed that cleaning will sweep away bad luck.

C. Because they think it will bring happiness to others.

D. Because it is thought that cleaning brings in money.

( )3. Which of the following things is not supposed to happen during the Spring Festival?

A. Returning money before the Spring Festival.

B. Saying words that have to do with death.

C. Wearing red clothes.

D. Decorating houses with red paper.

( )4. The underlined phrase ＂running out＂ may means _____________.

A. 跑出去 B. 打碎 C. 耗尽 D. 离开

( )5. We can tell from the story that the Spring Festival is _____________.

There is a saying, “China has the best teahouses in the world and Chengdu has the best teahouses in China.”Chengdu has not only many teahouses but also the special ways of serving and drinking tea.

As soon as the visitors enter the teahouses, the waiters or waitresses will greet them with teapots and cups in their hands. The cups often have special covers and saucers(茶碟). The covers can keep the water warm.

People who go to the teahouses are not all thirsty. Retired(退休)people pay a little money to the teahouses and then sit there all day long to chat with others. Sometimes, people have parties in the teahouses. They eat fruit and sunflower seeds(瓜子)while they chat and return home when they are tired. Teahouses are also good places for people to talk about businesses. Some of the teahouses even have stages for performances, such as storytelling, cross talk and Sichuan Opera. Sometimes when people have a quarrel, a mediator(调解员)will bring them to the teahouse. After their problem is solved, the person who is wrong will pay for the tea. It is interesting that as soon as the quarrelers enter the teahouse and sit down to drink tea, they have almost calmed down. With the help of the mediator, their problems can be easily solved then. Maybe we can say the teahouses have some special social functions.

1．Chengdu has the best teahouses in China because _____.

A．the serving of the teahouses in Chengdu is very special

B．there are many people in Chengdu teahouses

C．there are many old men in Chengdu teahouses

D．the cups in Chengdu teahouses are old

2．People in Chengdu’s teahouses may _____ while they are drinking according to the passage.

A．enjoy interesting stories B．watch movies

C．listen to Beijing Opera D．quarrel in loud voice

3．Who will pay for the tea after the mediator solve some problems?

A．The mediator himself B．The person who caused the problem

C．All the persons in the teahouse D．The owner of the teahouse

4．This passage is taken from some newspaper. Which part do you think it is from?

A．The sports part. B．The news part.

C．The culture part. D．The education part.

5．This passage mainly talks about _______.

A．how to make tea B．how to open a teahouse

C．the special functions of the teahouses D．the special way of enjoying tea

We know red. green, blue, black and white are basic (基本) colors. If we put red and white together, we can get pink; if we put red and blue together, we can get purple. We live in a colorful world.

Everything in the world has its own color. The sea is blue, the grass is green. Different colors can give us different feelings. And Different colors have different meanings. The same color also has different meanings in different places.

Most countries in the world like green, but people from England and Japan don't like it. Red is a favorite color in China, but in Thailand (泰国), it is a bad color because it means someone is dead (死亡). In Australia, people think the black cat can bring them good luck, but in America, people think the white cat is a lucky cat.

Americans usually eat three meals a day. Breakfast usually comes before eight o’clock in the morning. They usually have eggs, some meat, bread, fruit juice and coffee. Lunch is between twelve and one o’clock. It is like a light meal and working people must take lunch with them or get it near their work place. Children at school take sandwiches, fruit, and cookies with them or eat at school. Supper, the main meal, is between six and eight in the evening. People cook it carefully. They may have meat or chicken, turkey and duck. They may also have potatoes or rice, vegetables or salad. The drink is coffee, tea or milk. Then comes the dessert.

( ) 1. Americans have breakfast ________.

A. after eight o’clock B. at eight o’clock

C. before eight o’clock in the morning D. in the morning

( ) 2. _______ is the most important meal in a day.

A. Breakfast B. Lunch C. Meals D. Supper

( ) 3. What does the underlined word “light” mean in Chinese in this passage?

American schools are quite different from those in China. In America, at the beginning of the term, students must select their subjects and teachers first.

Selecting is very important for your marks in America. So at the first term, don't select too many subjects, or you'll feel very nervous and tired. Then you have to ask for some teaching plans. There is some information about subjects, timetables, marks and textbooks. At the same time, you must choose the teachers. Different teachers have different teaching methods. If the teacher is called "killer" by the last grade, many students will give up choosing him, because this kind of teacher will leave too much homework, too many exams and give too low grades

There is another thing after you select the subjects and the teachers. How to buy textbooks makes each student feel hard. The textbooks in America are very expensive. Each one is about$30-50. In order to save money, many students buy some used textbooks, and some students usually borrow textbooks from the school library.

In class, discussing is very important. The teacher encourages you to ask questions or show your own opinions. They don't usually ask you to sit well. Instead, they allow you to sit or stand everywhere you like.

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flow more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don't show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

B. Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.

C. Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

D. Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

2. From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ________.

New Y0rk is the most exciting city in the United States．It is not only the center of commerce and business for the United States．but also one of the three“world cities”．Together with London and Tokyo，it controls the world’s finance．There are many high-rise business buildings in this city．

People call them skyscrapers．The tallest skyscraper was the World Trade Center．It had one hun-dred and ten floors．Sadly，this building was destroyed(被摧毁)by the terrorist attack on Sept．11， 2001，and yet，the glory and image of it still remain vividly(生动地)in the memory of the world people．The Empire State Building is not as tall as the World Trade Center，but it is the tallest building in New York City now．It has 102 floors．The skyscrapers in New York City are world-fa-mous for their grandeur and their beautiful architecture(建筑)．Every year millions of people come

Clothing is a language.It tells us about individual people：their personality, their age, their place in society and so on.If we want to know more about a society, we can look at traditional clothing.

The continent of Africa has a long history and a rich culture, and this is shown in traditional dress.You often find three colours—red, gold and green in the clothing.The first colour stands for the blood of millions of people who suffered as slaves；the second is the rich resources of the African earth；and the third represents the grasslands of home.

The patterns on the clothing also have a meaning.A common pattern is in the form of a cross“X”， which stands for “unity”．Another pattern is a rectangular(长方形的)box, which represents “strength”．Because clothing has a strong social meaning, people are very careful in choosing what to wear.It would be a serious mistake to wear the wrong clothing, or to wear clothes in the wrong way. For instance, in Ghana, a woman should wear her waistband(腰带) differently according to the importance of the social event.

Traditional dress also tells us about everyday life.African designs are famous.Wide temperature range requires that the clothes be comfortable for daily life.

Although many people wear western clothes particularly in big cities in Africa, traditional African dress is very highly valued.This is because it has deep cultural meanings.

As traditional Chinese art, paper cutting has a long history. The first and earliest paper cutting was found in China 1,500 years ago. But this traditional art is at risk of disappearing now. Luckily, Voyo Woo, a Chinese immigrant(移民) in America, is trying to bring this art back to life.

One Saturday in 2014, Ms. Woo held a paper cutting show at a shopping center near Washington. She got much fun and peace doing it. She hoped more people would enjoy it.

Ms. Woo began to study the art of paper cutting as a 14-year-old girl in her hometown in China. She said all the students at school had to learn paper cutting. But she had a deep love for it. So her teacher spent more time teaching her after class. Later, she won the second prize in a national painting and art competition. Ms. Woo went to America after she finished college in 2008. Soon after that, she took part in an activity to promote(宣传) Chinese paper cutting. And then she was invited to show the art in many important activities. "It is important to promote this art to Americans or anyone who is interested in it. Maybe it will make this art more popular," Woo said.

From the art of paper cutting, people can know about Chinese cultural values, history and stories of people's life. Ms. Woo uses the art as a tool to show Chinese culture to people who know little about it. Chinese art is not only for Chinese, but also for people all over the world.

1. What did Ms. Woo do in 2014?

A. She won the second prize in a national painting and art competition.

B. She was invited to many activities to show paper cutting.

C. She held a paper cutting show at a shopping center near Washington.